3 bar menu

Chapter 77

An Encounter At the Orphanage With Yet Another Sister Who Works Too Hard

 

We all follow Frederica and look around the town of Madeira.

There are so few people around that it’s hard to believe it’s daytime. Looking at the houses, it seems like people are actually living there, but…

 

「We’re here.」

 

Looks like we’ve arrived at our destination.

The orphanage Frederica was pointing to was a fairly large building, but its appearance isn’t exactly what you’d call pretty.

 

That said… It still feels cleaner than the building where Eve lives.

I realized once again how harsh the environment and circumstances Eve was put in were.

As a fellow orphan who also came from an orphanage, I’m glad I could help her, even if only for a little while.

 

When Frederica opened the door, the boy who had been sitting and playing in the doorway suddenly started trembling as he looked at her.

 

「Ah…! F-Frederica-sensei!」

 

「It’s been a while, Benny-kun!」

 

Frederica called the child’s name with familiarity and approached him with her hand outstretched.

The boy called Benny seemed like he was about to run up to Frederica… but he took a step back instead.

 

「…Eh?」

 

「Ah, I’m sorry. W-Welcome back, Frederica-sensei.」

 

The boy timidly approaches Frederica and comes in front of her.

Even Frederica seemed to be surprised by his reaction, as unlike the children back at Seiris, she stroked his head cautiously.

 

Frederica seemed genuinely relieved when Benny obediently rested his head on her and let her stroke his head.

But after exhaling a breath, her expression tighthened and she focused her eyes on Benny.

 

「Benny-kun…」

 

「Hm?」

 

「If there is 『something』 that I‘m unaware of happening around here, can you please tell me?」

 

When Frederica asked him straight, Benny flinched and looked behind him.

……That reaction clearly shows that something’s up.

 

「If it’s difficult for you to say, then that’s okay. Where’s Ashley?」

 

「Ashley-san is in her room, I think——.」

 

Benny looked back again, and the person he was about to call was standing there.

 

A woman with short red hair, wearing the same Sister’s outfit as Frederica, appears.

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise, and she leapt toward Frederica the moment she saw her.

 

「Frederica-san!? So you’ve arrived already!」

 

「Yes. It’s been a while, Ashley. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to your aid sooner.」

 

「No, please don’t worry about it. I can’t believe the priest of Seiris dares to run off like that! Oh, now that I think about it, I heard you rushed over to deal with Sairis, but is it okay for you to be here now, Frederica-san? Also, those people behind you are…?」

 

「Alright, calm down, I’m going to explain everything one at a time.」

 

Ashley, a cheerful-looking sister with short red hair, seems to be quite talkative, just as she looks.

Even during our short conversation, I can clearly tell that she’s in a lower position than Frederica.

 

Come to think of it, Gemma Baa-san back home used to call Frederica without honorifics, didn’t she? Could it be that Baa-san was actually pretty high up in the ranks herself? I can totally see that being the case.

 

…Whoops, it’s not the time to think about hometown, gotta focus on the talk at hand.

 

「The reception room is available, right? Shall we go there? But first…」

 

Frederica turned toward us and introduced the orphanage’s sister.

 

「This girl here is Ashley, the sister who’s in charge of the orphanage here in Madeila. Ashley, these people here are, umm… the children back at Adria orphanage who grew up to be so strong, and also my bodyguards!」

 

「Wow, how wonderful! I’m Ashley! I’m truly grateful for everything Frederica-san has done for me. I understand you’re also orphans, but I’d be very happy if you could treat me as an equal colleague. I look forward to working with you all!」

 

Sister Ashley stood tall with her back straight and bowed with enthusiasm.

She seems like a serious person, and it looks like she was running this place all by herself… no wonder the orphanage seems to be running smoothly.

But still, taking care of all these children alone must be tough, as weariness is clearly visible on her face.

She probably doesn’t even have the time to tidy up her hair or take care of her appearance. She might even be sleep-deprived as well because I can see faint dark circles under her eyes.

 

「I’m Sybilla, a Mage. And then—」

 

Sybilla held out Emmy’s tag.

When I took a glance at it, the information there was… drastically different from what was there before.

 

『Adria』—— Emmy 【Holy Knight】 Level 2.

Emmy’s level had dropped significantly since she switched job to 【Twilight Knight】.

 

Even so, the fact that she hasn’t lost her Holy Knight job is probably because of Sybilla’s and Emmy’s power, no… their sheer willpower.

Besides, it doesn’t matter if her level is low, because it’s still one of the high-ranking jobs. It has an immense presence.

 

「I’m Emmy, a Holy Knight. Nice to meet you.」

 

「T-That’s amazing…! Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you, too!」

 

Ashley bowed repeatedly, and then she naturally turned to me.

Sybilla then held out my tag and showed the job displayed on it with a wink.

 

『Adria』—— Russell 【Saint】 Level 8. Though my level hasn’t changed since then, my job holds special significance for the church.

 

「A-Are you truly… Saint-sama?」

 

「No, well, my job is, but really, I myself don’t think that I hold up to that title. More importantly, you seem to be pretty exhausted. And Frederica, too, you’ve been pushing yourself too hard, haven’t you? 《Extra Heal Link》, 《Cure Link》. How is it? You should feel more refreshed now.」

 

I used healing and cure magic on everyone present since I had the chance.

A Saint and Saintess’ healing magic isn’t like any regular healing magic.

The effect ranges from restoring stamina and fatigue even cleaning clothes and repairing equipment.

It’s an incredibly convenient ability. For this alone, I’m genuinely grateful to the Sun Goddess.

 

I was once in a party with the 【Hero】 Vince, the 【Holy Knight】 Emmy, and the 【Sage】 Jannet.

But back then, my healing magic wasn’t all that necessary, and on top of that, everyone had learned that basic healing magic themselves.

As expected, even I couldn’t have guessed that my healing magic could even repair things back then, when I didn’t know anything about my healing magic.

 

…That being said, if I had stayed in that party, I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell how useful I can actually be.

After all that happened, Emmy even ended up joining us now.

I heard the other two had recruited another party member, but… I wonder how they’re doing right now.

 

While I was lost in thought, Ashley slapped her face lightly, ruffled her hair a little, and flapped her clothes… then stormed off toward the back.

 

「Did something happen…? Ouch! What was that for!?」

 

「This guy, seriously… You just don’t get it, do you? …No, I guess you’re just oblivious like that. I should’ve anticipated this. That reaction is just so like you, though.」

 

Just what did I do? If you have something to say, then say it till the end.

I was about to say that to Sybilla, when—-「Whoooooo!」 I could hear Ashley’s roar echo from somewhere in the deeper part of the building, before storming back toward us.

 

「F-Frederica-san! Just now, my sleep deprivation, my weary face, and even the stains on my clothes—everything’s completely gone!? Lately, even looking at myself in the mirror was depressing, but now my skin’s as smooth as silk, just like before I started working at the orphanage! Rather, I just realized Frederica-san is getting so much prettier right before my eyes!?」

 

「R-Right, you think so too, right? I also noticed the immediate change in you, Ashley! So this is Russell-chan’s Saint magic, huh…!」

 

Looks like they noticed each other’s changes, like how their faces look healthier now.

It doesn’t seem to me like they changed that much from before, but… well, if they can notice the difference right away, then I guess that’s a good thing.

 

Ashley then approached me, kneeling before me on the floor, and took my hand in both of hers.

 

「Saint-sama, Russell-sama, God! Should you require anything, please command this Sister Ashley as you would a subordinate!」

 

「Oi oi, you’ll get your knees dirty if you kneel on the floor like that. Look, I have no intention of doing that at all, and I’ll be more at ease if you treat me as an equal. If it’s Frederica’s colleague, there’s no need to hesitate to ask us for help. Please let me know if you start feeling tired again.」

 

「Thank you very much…! I’ll dedicate myself to worship you, Russel-sama!」

 

「No, like I said, you don’t have to do that…」

 

She sure is a high-spirited woman, huh, in a different way from Sybilla and Emmy.

Well, it’s better than being so gloomy, I guess…

 

「Oh, right, the reception room is it!? I’ll prepare some tea right away, so please wait there and make yourself comfortable!」

 

Ashley rushed off frantically, while Benny seemed to have gone to the other kids.

I directed the obvious question at the other three.

 

「Good grief, it’s good that she’s full of spirits, but… what’s with the overzealousness towards me?」

 

The moment I said that.

The remaining three made an exasperated face as if saying 『I can’t believe this guy』, while letting out a big sigh.

 

「Just what is it, really…?」

 

「Listen to me very carefully, Russell…」

 

Speaking for the three of them, Sybilla said as she thrust her finger right in front of my eyes.

 

「You do not, EVER, underestimate a woman’s effort to maintain her beauty and the bitterness she feels when she fails to do so. A single wrinkle around the eyes can hit a woman with the same weight as the despair you once felt.」

 

It’s that serious, huh?

I couldn’t tell the difference myself, but it seemed Frederica and Ashley noticed it right away when they saw each other’s faces.

 

Hm? Then that means…

 

「Fufu, now that my worries in Seiris were resolved, and the fatigue from the travel until now vanished like it was nothing, I’m sure I’m looking prettier than I have in a while~」

 

「Now that can’t be right, Frederica was always beautiful to begin with, I can’t even tell the difference at all.」

 

「O-Oh my, thank you!」

 

I guess it’s fine even if I can’t tell the difference, as long as Frederica is satisfied… Ouch!

 

「……What is it now?」

 

「Nothing, I just felt obligated to pinch you now.」

 

I was just about to complain when Emmy nodded in agreement, so I swallowed the protest that had risen to my throat.

This is so unfair…

 

「The drinks are ready!」

 

Just then, Ashley’s voice can be heard from the back, and Frederica quickly returns to her normal expression.

That quick switch—as expected of someone from a management team.

 

Now then, let’s hear the details about the problems in the town, shall we?